Muscle Tech Hydroxycut: Viable Weight Loss Supplement or Just Another MuscleTech Rip Off?
Written: Apr 18 '03 (Updated Aug 21 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Decreases appetite, helps with initial weight loss, can help boost metabolic rate.
Cons: It’s basically an overpriced version of the standard ECA stack…
The Bottom Line: Hydroxycut will work but you have to ask yourself if it’s worth the price when other similar products are available for less money and will deliver the same results.
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| Freak369's Full Review: Hydroxycut (0610012) |
Preface: I am not a doctor. Any information contained in this review is purely for informational purposes only. Please consult a qualified health care provide before you start any exercise program or take any supplement. Read the entire label before using this product and do not exceed the recommended dosage. Please make yourself familiar with both the benefits and dangers of using a product that contains ephedra before you purchase and use it.
Hydroxycut
Available in several different sizes, this product is a weight loss supplement that has been on the market and seen several different versions released to the public. Recently an ephedra free version was unleashed upon the masses to help calm those that were concerned with ingesting any ephedrine based products. This is where some clever marketing ploys come into place; supplement manufacturers can get around the recent changes in ephedrine based product sales while still being able to deliver a product that works. How do they do it? Simply use “all natural” ingredients – that’s how. Even though it might say that it is ephedra free on the front of the bottle, all you need to do is flip it over and read the list of ingredients. Chances are that you might find caffeine, Ma Huang, Squaw Tea or some other common name on the list. Since the FDA [Food & Drug Administration] has stepped in regarding ephedra based product sales, things have cleaned up a little but there is still a lot of misrepresentation going on. To the ill informed or those just starting into the sport supplement field, this type of lackadaisical product pimping could most definitely do more harm than good.
Hydroxycut draws off of the tried and true ECA stacking principal to efficiently burn fat, increase energy levels and reduce total body weight. For those not familiar with the ECA combination, here is a brief definition - Ephedrine, Caffeine and Aspirin, when combined together in any form [either straight product or by introducing those that occur naturally] help the body to put the metabolism into a high working rate. In morbidly obese individuals the thermogenesis rates are usually slow that when the stack is introduced they see tremendous results. Products like Hydroxycut are regarded as “modern wonders” however those that have been in the fitness and body building world for some time will smile and say that it is nothing new. The more you weigh initially [not weight as a number but actual body fat percentage] the quicker you will see results from this and other products like it. On the same token those that only need to lose a few pounds will see results however they won’t be as dramatic and quick as those who are in the 30% and higher body fat level range. As a side note if you are over 37% body fat you are considered morbidly obese and should only take this product under the strict supervision of a physician or qualified weight loss specialist.
What Is It?
Hydroxycut is a fat burning catalyst marketed by Muscle Tech, the parent company of the Muscle Mag. As you can imagine, when you see advertisements for this product in the magazine they show slightly chunky people against a bland background, shoulders slightly hunched, no make up on [for the women that is] and having bad hair days. That’s the before picture, the after picture shows them trimmed down, sporting a smile and looking like a million bucks. In my opinion it is a lot like Xenadrine in the way it is designed, function of the ingredients and how it can work for you. Hydroxycut contains: Hydroxagen*, MaHuang Extract [providing 20 mg of ephedra alkaloids], White Willow Bark Extract, L-Carnitine Hydroxy Tea Blend [guarana extract, green tea extract], gelatin, magnesium stearate, silica and cellulose.
* This product contains the patented and trademarked Hydroxagen that is a proprietary blend of ingredients including hydroxycitric acid [HCA]. The dosage in each capsule is 1000 milligrams, a little below the 1,500 milligrams that were given to test subject in studies involving Garcinia Cambogia whose main active ingredient hydroxycitric acid. HCA has undergone testing to see how effectively it suppresses hunger, inhibits dietary fat absorption and allows the body to utilize dietary foods before they are absorbed into the system.
Please keep in mind that just because a product [any product] claims that they contain “all natural” ingredients [partly or totally] it doesn’t mean that they can’t harm you if taken in excessive amounts or without having consulted with a physician. In addition to researching a supplement before you purchase and start using it, you should make sure that you have modified your dietary intake to maximize your efforts for best results. Some products claim that you can simply take a few pills, not exercise, eat whatever you want and still lose weight. If this were the case gyms would go out of business, supplement manufacturers would only make a handful of products and places like Weight Watchers and NutriSystem would board up their windows and file bankruptcy.
Dosage
The body has an incredible memory. Have a child and the inner workings of the female anatomy return to normal in a short period of time. Break a bone or bruise a muscle and it will usually heal after being treated by a doctor. That’s all fine and good when you are considering how the body can heal itself but when you are looking at how weight loss supplements work, things take a nasty little turn. The body can and will build up an immunity to any weight loss product that targets stored or dietary fat as well as overall level of metabolism. This is what usually leads people to take more than the recommended amount or more often during the day. And that, my friends, could lead to some serious health issues including heat stroke, heart attack, extreme restlessness, anxiety attacks, nausea, dehydration and death.
The normal dose of this product is small at first, usually one capsule three times per day, then increases to three capsules three times per day – normally 30 to 45 minutes before a work out or cardiovascular activity. Since you are varying the dosage amount you are cutting back on the chances of your body getting used to the levels but sometimes people seek a fast option to losing weight and exceed the recommended dosage amounts. Since I am tall and have an athletic build I didn’t have many noticeable side effects [nausea, jitters, restlessness etc] when I took this about 25 minutes before a work out. When I increased the dosage level to two capsules before hitting the gym I had enough energy to do a 45 minute work out and about twenty minutes of cardio afterwards. I never tried using three capsules because I felt that two were giving me enough energy. I did see a little bit of fat loss however it was hard to tell if this was from the Hydroxycut, change in diet or other supplements that I was taking intermittently.
My Take On This ….
I have never been a real fan of the Muscle Tech line of products. I use them from time to time but if there is a better product available, I'll pick that. In my opinion, they aren’t as great as they are built up to be, cost more than comparable products and are pimped using airbrushed fitness models and steroid enhanced body builders. As you may have read in previous reviews, I was a fat kid and had to deal with a lot of issues resulting from that. When products are pitched to consumers there is bound to be a certain mount of padding that goes along with it. Read any online review of this product [at body building / fitness sites] and you’ll be told that even if you don’t exercise as much as you should or eat the correct foods for weight loss – this product will still work. And not only will it work – but it will allow you to lose a “substantial amount of weight”. Anyone else see something wrong with this picture?
The advertising campaigns that were featured in body building magazines showed key figures in the sport endorsing the product. Whether they used it or not is a private matter but if you honestly think that the freakish results were attained solely by using Hydroxycut and a solid food pyramid – you are living in a dream world. This is one of the things that really depress me about the “sport” of bodybuilding. Those that will never compete for pro cards or even step on a stage are basically told that these types of products are what the professionals use. So when the average Joe or Jane Smith picks up a bottle hoping to achieve that “substantial amount of weight loss” and it doesn’t work – it leaves them three steps further back than when and where they started. Make no doubt about it, without the use of anabolic steroids, water eradication drugs administered intravenously, diuretics and massive cutting cycles the “pros” wouldn’t look so great. Do your self a favor and set a realistic goal when working out, exercising, picking a target weight or starting a diet. To try and achieve the “pro” goals with over the counter products is like trying to run a marathon with cement shoes – the first few steps will be easy but eventually you will give up.
The Bottom Line
As much as I hate to admit it, this is a “good” product and it help to jump start your metabolism providing that you consult a physican before using it, incorporate it into a well balanced diet and never exceed the recommended dose. If you are a fan of the MuscleTech line of products then this should be the one to use for a little extra burst of energy before a work out and to try to lose some extra weight. If this sounds like a product that you might like to try please do not mix it with other thermogenic products or energy supplements until you know how this will affect you. Never exceed the recommended dose and avoid taking this in the evening unless you want to be up for several hours. Be sure to read the entire label and understand the ingredients before you purchase and take this. If you have any questions about the product, how to take it safely and effectively or if there is a better MuscleTech product for you to use, please call their toll free customer service number at [877] 443-4074. Additionally you can find information at their website, http://www.hydroxycut.com, with individual sections for men and women’s usage of the product.
As always, thanks for the visit!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2003 Freak369
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